Our higher diesel prices are a rip-off

EVERYONE knows that fuel prices are going through the roof but do readers realise that the British people are being exploited by the increasing disparity between the price of diesel and that of unleaded petrol?

EVERYONE knows that fuel prices are going through the roof but do readers realise that the British people are being exploited by the increasing disparity between the price of diesel and that of unleaded petrol?

For instance, for the month of April the UK had the 11th highest unleaded price in Europe, but the second highest diesel price.

In France, Germany, Holland, Spain and Portugal, diesel prices are cheaper than petrol (sometimes as much as 10 per cent cheaper).

In this country the price of diesel is now approaching 10 per cent dearer than unleaded petrol. Even in those countries where diesel is dearer (such as Ireland) it is only one or two per cent more than petrol.

Quite simply, we, as usual, are being ripped off. We have a massive petroleum industry with some 10 refineries and have North Sea oil continuing in production, although at a reduced rate, but still we pay more for fuel than many countries which have no oil of their own or even possess a single refinery.

The high price of diesel is more critical to our standard of living than that of petrol as all our transport of goods, food etc, is dependent on it, not petrol. Meanwhile, the Government does nothing. It just sits back and creams off the extra profit it is making from the ever-increasing tax.

Many smaller firms are going to go bankrupt but nobody seems to care.

The Government should announce an immediate reduction in tax or diesel fuel of at least 10 per cent. Only then can we retain any sort of parity with other European countries.